In this episode of Thumbs up, Thumbs down, RealAgriculture.com's fearless leaders Shaun Haney and Lyndsey Smith talk government retaliation measures, or rather the lack thereof, in the COOL fiasco, Lyndsey suggests a statute of limitations on blaming previous governments for today's problems and Shaun professes his love of wrestling. Also in this audio-only version of... Read More
Category: Ag Policy
It’s great to see farm groups take a public position. Their members want to hear from them, and increasingly, so does the public, especially when these groups are represented by real farmers. Even better yet is when a farm group’s concerns mesh with the public’s understanding of the status quo – such as border crossing... Read More
Though it has not been grown in nearly a decade, wheat containing the Roundup Ready gene has been reportedly found in an Oregon, U.S., field by the USDA. The Roundup Ready wheat was field tested many years ago by Monsanto in the state from 1999 to 2005, but the crop was never approved for commercial... Read More
The Canadian Wheat Alliance was announced on May 16 and will provide $97M worth of funding over five years for wheat research. The effort will combine expertise from each of: the National Research Council, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the province of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. "Wheat research has lagged a bit," says Lyle... Read More
While several Ontario tracks are running right now, horse racing in Ontario is still struggling and the future is fraught with uncertainties. Standardbred racing has been hit particularly hard, and political wrangling around casinos going in, then not, in southern Ontario has those in the industry wondering what the next few years look like for... Read More
There are good weeks and then there are poor weeks. Last week the US implemented its new rules to COOL. The Canadian and US industries feel strongly that these remedies are un-called for. Lyndsey Smith and Anne Wasko discuss the implementation of COOL in the latest edition of the CDN Beef Market Update. If you... Read More
The United States was required to come into compliance with its World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations in relation to the WTO dispute on its country-of-origin labelling (COOL) regulations today, May 23. The country has instead implemented proposed changes that many U.S. and Canadian cattle and hog industry players say makes it even worse. The Canadian... Read More
Editor's note: This is Owen Roberts' Real Talk, Real Action column. Each week, Owen will offer his insight into how farmers and the agricultural industry can participate in the rural- and ag-related discussions going on around them. Contact Owen at owen@uoguelph.ca or on Twitter at @TheUrbanCowboy. So you’ve done your homework, tested your feed for... Read More
I'm all for peaceful protests. Say it loud, say it proud, whatever you need to get off your chest, please do. And it's with this spirit that I propose we have a march to promote marching against real problems in our society — children living in poverty and suffering from hunger even as a growing... Read More
Food safety is top of mind for any food industry. The beef industry is constantly researching new and proven methods for keeping Canada's beef value chain safe from pathogens. E-beam irradiation, a food safety technique used in over 50 countries, is one such method being evaluated for use on beef and beef trim. While not... Read More